Expiation
by Aelan Greenleaf
Summary: RotS AU. AP, ObiWan: Anakin has been saved from the dark side, he has been reunited with Padme, but ObiWan has been captured by the Emperor in an effort to turn back the Chosen One to the dark side... EPILOGUE UP 8.11!
1. Redemption

Title: Expiation

Author: Aelan Greenleaf

Rating: K+

Category: Angst (of course), and a little drama

Summary: RotS Mustafar fight scene AU; one-post; SPOILERS! Yet another redemption fic. :)

Characters: Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Short viggie. Okay, very short viggie.

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Expiation: the act of atonement for a sin.

The fires of Mustafar burned orange as the Sith Lord battled the Jedi Master. Geysers of liquid magma erupted from their underground caverns, exploding violently with unbridled force and energy. The blue blades crossing were easily identifiable in the dark day of the volcano planet; their azure light contrasting the red and yellow hues of the landscape around them.

Darth Vader drew his lips back in a sneer as he thrust his blade down upon his opponent, the Jedi barely managing to raise his own weapon to block the attack. A swift kick from the dark lord was misplaced, and the master of light delivered a strike to the face. Both backed away, only for a moment, lightsabers raised, ready for the next move.

The bearded Jedi spoke. "Don't do this, Anakin. Don't give into your hate."

His eyes burned hotter than the world around him. "Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan." He plunged forward, delivering the first blow.

__

From the ashes within him, the dragon awoke.

These two men were closer than brothers; they were each one half of a single whole. Each strike was recognized, each parry was second nature, but onwards they pressed, the fate of the galaxy weighing on them.

__

Two yellow eyes stared into his soul, boring holes into his heart. The dragon of the dead star shook off the black dust of its tomb and became stronger, more powerful, than before. Wrapping its tail around every fear the Hero With No Fear had ever had, it squeezed with a vice-like grip.

The Sith Lord stumbled. A clumsy step, and his balance was thrown off. The Jedi took the advantage, and shifted from defense to offense. His blue sword with the silver handle shot forwards, as he flipped gracefully over the other's head. Barely blocking the attack, the former Jedi sunk low and swung his own lightsabre in a circle, almost catching his opponent's legs.

__

It was strange that the very thing that had destroyed the man called Anakin Skywalker would bring him back from the abyss. As the dark lord choked upon his own onus, the part of him that was still a Jedi slowly rose from his deep exile.

The Jedi Master leaped over the blade, dropped low and somersaulted forwards, in order to gain some distance from his former apprentice. His cerulean eyes met the cold, vile stare of his Padawan, and his heart shattered. Everything he ever was and would have been was in this boy. His breath caught in his throat, and he pushed all emotion away. This was not the Jedi way.

Darth Vader was too preoccupied with his own demons to notice as Anakin crawled back up from the depths that had been his mental prison. He didn't notice until it was too late that the Jedi had snapped the dragon's neck and was now standing before him, whispering of failure and defeat. The two men that were one both faced off, within and outside. Two battles raged on.

The obsidian shores that bordered the river of flames drew ever closer, as the two rivals fought their epic struggle. The shatterpoint drew near, hidden in the currents of the ever-changing Force. Finally, an indigo blade struck low and hard, mangling flesh and sending a piercing scream into the heavy air. Goliath fell towards the black sand below, as David looked on in agony.

__

Something exploded, and they fell. The other war was done, the dark side had lost. Now one man fought himself, as the volcanoes breathed fire around them.

The figure lay still on the beach, and Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn't stand it. Darth Vader's severed leg lay beside him, as he fell to his knees. He closed his eyes, and buried his face in his hands. Long moments passed. A quiet moan floated over the wind, a moan that sounded eerily like his own name. Opening crying eyes, he wiped the tears away to see the figure gazing up at him, pleading.

"Obi-Wan..." it croaked.

"...Anakin?" he asked, holding his breath, barely daring to believe.

"Please help me, Obi-Wan." The light shone through his voice, and the Jedi Master's heart stopped. Time slowed as he let go of everything, and rejoiced. He remembered to breathe.

Obi-Wan careened down the slope, skidding and sliding down to the side of his Padawan. He scooped up the semi-conscious man into his arms, his tears gently falling onto Anakin's blackened face.

"Master..." he moaned.

Warm fingers stroked his glistening brow. "You're going to be fine, my apprentice. Now, sleep."

Eyelids closed in soft slumber, and the Jedi hurriedly made his way up the bank of the fiery river, now responsible for two patients instead of just one. As another ship landed, he quickly took off, setting a course for the nearest medical planet. Obi-Wan lay Anakin down next to his wife, as both rested in dreamless sleep. The Jedi Master was filled with such joy and hope, and as he left the room to contact his friends, he shot one final look at his young apprentice. Everything had changed.

The dragon slept on.


	2. Awakening

Good news! I caught the bunny! Now that summer's here, I hope that I can keep this story going! Enjoy the first chapter!

**Expiation: Chapter One **

From the darkness, eyes opened.

A bright light filled the spectrum of his vision and he squinted against it. He wondered, for a spilt second, if this was the proverbial light that he had overheard so many space pirates discuss so long ago. He quickly realized, however, that this was not that light. It faded quickly, to the soft white of the world around him. Blinking, he saw that he was in a room, with immaculate pastel sheets upon him and the scent of purified air flowing through his lungs. There was no oceans of fire, no atmosphere laced with toxins and noxious gases. He was... safe.

Safe.

The memories came back through his mind, the betrayal, the fight, Obi-Wan, Padmé, _the dragon_. He recalled slaying the dragon, emerging through the shadow that had clouded his mind, his soul. He remembered the children.

His heart stopped an instant, the ramifications hitting him so hard that he struggled to breathe. The younglings. The fright in their faces, the relief in their eyes when he had entered the room, and most of all, the look of betrayal that had crossed their features when he had brandished his lightsaber so silently, and destroyed them.

Tears started to run down the side of his face, in his room painted the colour of innocence, as every transgression and crime he had committed rushed back to him. Broken bodies of slain Jedi; Mace Windu as he fell from the apex of Coruscant; the sadness in Obi-Wan's grey eyes as Darth Vader raised his weapon against him. Padmé.

His love, his heart, his everything. When he began to squeeze the life out of her, how she had tried to reach him, speaking of her love. His beautiful, angelic Padmé.

Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, the epitome of the Jedi, the champion of the Clone Wars, began to weep. Salty tears of hate and love; jealousy and forgiveness; sadness and happiness. He cried for his sins, for his faults, for every wrong he had committed in the name of evil. He wept for the Jedi, for the people, for the galaxy. He cried for Obi-Wan and Padmé.

Long moments passed, and eventually the tears dried, leaving their traces stained upon his cheeks. He sat up in his bed slowly, as he noted with an almost amused interest that his right leg had been replaced with another mechanical limb. His lips turned up in a ghost of a smile, thinking that he now had a set.

The door to his room opened, and he looked up. His visage erupted in an expression of euphoria as his beloved wife, his soul mate, entered the room. She rushed up to him, burying her face in his shoulder as they collapsed onto the bed as one, shuddering with pent up emotion. Her tears soaked through his thin hospital garment, and his through her long blue dress as they wept as one.

"Oh, Ani." she whispered, looking up and tracing the line of his jaw with her hand. Her eyes glistened with happiness and wonder as her eyes met his. "I..."

He cupped her chin within his palm. "I know. Padmé-"

She smiled. "I know." Padmé leaned her neck towards his, as he bent down and their lips met in a soft, loving kiss. Moments passed before they broke apart, footsteps reverberating towards them.

"Master Anakin!" exclaimed a golden-plated protocol droid as he entered the room, arms elevated in an expression of surprise and happiness. "It is so good to see you well!"

Anakin grinned at the sight of C-3PO. "Thanks, Threepio. It's good to see you too."

Annoyed beeps and chirps followed the robot through, as R2-D2 rolled through the door. Threepio looked back in exasperation. "Oh, I wasn't going to wait for you! Idiot!"

"Artoo!" The happiness in Anakin was tenfold as he was surrounded by those he loved and cared for. He burrowed his face into Padmé's shoulder, breathing in her familiar scent as she shook softly with pleasant laughter. He felt at home.

"Anakin," Padmé started, moving away from him, "there's something that I need to show you."

He looked at her curiously for a moment, before he saw the twinkle of amusement in her eyes, and the realization hit him. The baby. Their baby.

The shock was still upon his face as the medical droid rolled into the room, a bundle held within its' metal projections. He couldn't breathe as Padmé gently took the bundle from its' arms and brought it to Anakin. She glowed with maternal pride as she placed it into his slightly awkward grasp, his flesh arm knowing the action, his mechanical one struggling to follow. He looked down into the folds of the blanket, and saw the brilliant blue gaze of his daughter meet his awestruck stare.

"I-she...beautiful." he exhaled, captivated.

Padmé laughed, her voice filled with euphoria and amusement. "Anakin, that's not all..."

Confused, he broke away his attention from his daughter, and felt his jaw literally drop at the sight of a second bundle, held tight in his wife's loving arms.

"Two?" he whispered.

She took the infant from his arms, and placed the second one within his tender hold. She watched, her daughter in her loving arms, as he encountered his second child for the first time, as father and son locked stares. The droids left the room quietly, as the Skywalker family was united for the first time. Father and son, mother and daughter, they stood together.

"What are their names?" he said softly, still gazing down at his sandy-haired son, his skin still pink with newness.

Padmé blushed. "I... I named them Luke and Leia. They mean bringers of light, in the ancient language of Naboo."

Anakin smiled at his wife with pure ecstasy and euphoria. "They're beautiful- you're beautiful."

She sat down beside him and leaned against his shoulder, as they watched their children fall asleep, their small faces so pure and innocent. The medical droid came back some time later, carrying the children off to their own room, to rest for the night.

"How long was I asleep for?" Anakin asked, once the children were gone and it was just him and his wife, him and his Padmé.

"Almost two weeks." she answered, the pain still raw in her eyes. "You were operated on; you had a lot of injuries, my love. I... I almost thought I would lose you, so soon after you returned to me."

He smiled gently, holding her hands in his. "I won't ever leave you, Padmé. You or the children. We're a family now, forever." Happiness shone in his features, before a strange look overcame him and worry crossed his face. He gripped her hands tightly.

"Padmé, where's Obi-Wan?"

Several systems away, another set of eyes opened, glowing blue and filled with a world of pain.

"Oh no," he muttered, after regaining consciousness, "not good."

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	3. Rowan

New chapter!

"Oh no," he muttered, after regaining consciousness, "not good."

Obi-Wan Kenobi groaned as every part of his body screamed in agony at being moved, as he looked upwards and around him. Home again, he thought wryly, as his head pounded and as he slumped back down against the wall. His hands reached upwards in an almost reflexive motion to touch the large, metallic binding around his neck. It was the one thing that isolated him, that made this strange torture almost unbearable. He knew that was its' goal, and that it was almost accomplishing it.

He sighed and rolled over onto the cold floor, gazing up at what he could only assume was the ceiling. The Force suppressor had only been placed on him three days ago, (days were for him now the times in between unconsciousness), but already he could feel the anger, the hate burning inside him, demanding to be let out. So many times he had tried to touch the Force, to wade in it's ever-flowing current, to become one with the world around him, but had only felt a solid wall.

Closing tired eyes, he distracted himself by reviewing what had happened. Mustafar, Padmé, Anakin. The moment of utter despair, and then the instance of pure joy; it was all taken away so quickly. Whoever had captured him had knocked him out immediately; he had no knowledge of his captors. There were never any questions, never any deviations from the routine that had started what seemed an eternity ago. He went to sleep, woke up, ate the food that had appeared in the night, did his katas, was taken away, tortured, woke up in his cell, ate the dinner that had appeared, went to sleep. The monotonous cycle repeated itself, again and again and again.

The physical injuries meant nothing to him, even without the Force to help him heal them. In his mind he knew that the purpose of his daily beatings was not to injure him physically but mentally; to break his resolve. And, it was working. With every lick of the guard's fork-tongued vibro-whip to every silent punch in the gut or slap across the face, Obi-Wan could feel the hate and anger growing within him, and he was powerless to stop it.

Nevertheless, he soldiered now. He never reacted to the hits or the kicks or the blood that ran down his back, and he knew, somehow smugly, that he was winning. The twin guards, once impassive and unemotional, now subtly added more strength to their assaults upon him.

Obi-Wan sighed. He supposed he should eat the food.

Opening his eyes yet again to the dim light of his wonderful accommodations, he got to his feet in one fluid motion and strode three paces to the far side of his cell. Before was a tray, holding two plates of clone trooper rations, two small pitchers of water, two washcloths...

Two?

He knew that from being in here his brain functions were slightly slower, but he knew that his vision hadn't doubled. He bent down to the tray and touched the items one by one, to confirm that they were really two of each and that he hadn't inadvertently gone cross-eyed. But why the blazes would there be two of each thing if there was only-

A noise came from the wall behind him, and he turned to see a door slide open and a blinding light shine through. While his eyes adjusted, he saw through his hand a figure be shoved through, before the door closed once more. Dim light returned, and he could see once more.

His new houseguest was laying crumpled about a foot away from him, shuddering softly. Obi-Wan forgot his hunger and pain and became Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master. Reaching out a warm hand, he gently touched what he hoped was the person's shoulder.

"Hello." he said softly, surprising himself with the sound of his own voice. It was raspy and sour-sounding, from numerous days of disuse.

Two orchid eyes met his in the darkness, and he realized with a start that this was only a child, no older than five. It backed away from his touch, whimpering.

He smiled in an effort to calm the young one. "I won't hurt you, I promise." he said, moving to touch it once again. As quickly as a Coreillian waterfox, it moved to the far corner, still staring at him with violet eyes.

Obi-Wan raised his hands up, and didn't move forwards again. He paused, considering what to do. The child was afraid, to be sure. Honestly, he had no idea how exactly to interact with a child so young. So, he decided to continue with his previous plans. Dinner.

He walked back over to the tray, lifted his rations and water off of it, and sat back down, across from his new companion. Peeling the wrapper off of the first ration bar (chocolate, to be precise) he took a bite from it, all the while watching the small shape in the corner. He could see its' interest, and he knew that the poor thing must be hungry.

"It's very good, you know. Chocolate is always good." It felt nice to speak again, he thought to himself, continuing to meet the stare of his now intrigued cellmate. "Do you want some?" he asked, offering it out with his arm.

Silence. Then, slowly, the tiny ball of knotted hair and tattered clothes moved forwards, and eagerly grabbed the rest of Obi-Wan's ration bar. Together, they ate their meal, and the little one slowly, but surely, drifted closer and closer to it's adult companion.

Obi-Wan looked down at the child before him, and could see the tear tracks dried upon it's face, woven through the dirt and grime. He wet his own facecloth, and gently moved forwards, talking the whole time.

"I'm just going to clean you up a bit, young one." he said softly. To his surprise, the child didn't move. Maybe it DID know Basic.

Scrubbing at the dirt on it's face, the child didn't move, seemingly happy to be touched by a friendly hand. Obi-Wan, as he worked, remarked to himself that he hadn't done this in years, not since Anakin was twelve and went through his 'recycling' faze.

_"Master," the young boy had said, as Obi-Wan wiped away the dirt on his Padawan's face, "even damaged droids can be repaired! It's just more work to clean and fix the, that's all." The boy had smiled, that gentle, kind smile that he knew his master couldn't resist. _

"By cleaning, I assume you mean the transfer of all that grime to your face?" Obi-Wan had remarked, grinning despite himself.

"There." The former Jedi Master said, leaning back to see his handiwork.

The child, underneath the dirt mask that had covered her face, was a girl. A human girl, he might add, with violet eyes and pale skin. Her hair was black (at least, with the grime), and he noticed now that her tattered clothing was the remains of a once elegant dress.

"All clean now, hmm?" he said, mimicking a certain green Jedi. He gazed into her eyes, smiling. "Obi-Wan. That's my name, I mean." he said, gesturing a finger towards himself.

She smiled slightly back at him, revealing white teeth that glowed slightly in the hazy light. "Rowan." she said, pointing to herself.

"Rowan." he repeated. "A very nice name." Suddenly, he yawned, despite himself, and chuckled softly. The weariness that had dissipated in the moments of Rowan's arrival came back abruptly, and he could feel the pounding in his head return. "To sleep, I go, dear Rowan." he spoke softly, looking the little girl in the eyes. Hers met him back, mesmerizing.

He broke her stare, and crossed the two paces over to his customary sleeping zone, another uniform part of his cell. He laid down upon the floor, rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.

Not even a minute had passed before he felt a small body curl up beside him, and a tiny hand burrow itself into his own. Rowan pressed her head up against his chest, and sighed softly. Obi-Wan's body stiffened as she first lay against him, then relaxed as he became accustomed to her. Soon he heard her breathing slow into the soft, steady rhythm of sleep, and he followed only a few minutes behind.


	4. Explanations

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Here's the next one! I hope you're enjoying it! Feedback is greatly appreciated, and I can't describe how much all of my readers mean to me! You guys rock, and I'm writing this for you!

"Padmé, where's Obi-Wan?" Anakin's face was wrought with worry, as he thought of the man who was, in essence, his father, his brother, the other half of Kenobi and Skywalker.

His wife's eyes clouded with sadness. "Anakin, there was an accident. When we left Mustafar, our ship was attacked by clone troops inside the system. You were barely alive, and I was just barely conscious. Obi-Wan placed us into an escape pod and alerted Bail to his predicament. Bail picked us up, drifting in space. Obi-Wan..." her voice caught as tears threatened her composure once more. "Obi-Wan was captured."

Anakin closed his eyes in pain. The happiness that had run through his veins was all but gone, replaced by the cold feeling of despair. His Master, the man that had bandaged his wounds, soothed his tears, and had loved him purely and unconditionally. The one that had reached his hand over the edge of the dark and had pulled Anakin back from its grasp. Obi-Wan.

The touch of Padmé's warm hand removed him from his reverie. Her eyes, so full of love and empathy met his as he looked at her.

"I need to talk to Bail." he stated softly, almost to himself.

She nodded, and gestured towards the door. They both stood; he in his paper-thin medical garments, she in her flowing aquamarine dress. He reached his hand out to her as they walked, holding her close. The med facility was small and quiet; he suspected that they were in a private clinic far in the long reaches of the Outer Rim. There were no signs of war here; no blood-stained floors, no overwhelmed doctors, no men on the verge of death. Only quiet rooms and silent nurses filled the hospital, as Anakin and Padmé strode through it.

Near the end of a hallway, Padmé directed him to a large room occupied by a table and several chairs. Bail was already present, as was a certain Jedi Master.

Anakin forgot his worry for a moment as he recognized his teacher, alive and well. "Master Yoda!" he exclaimed.

The diminutive alien nodded his greeting to the young knight. "Glad to see you, I am." Yoda's bright eyes shone with genuine pleasure at seeing Anakin, but there was still the dullness of eternal mourning buried deep in his green orbs. Mourning for those that Anakin had killed.

He looked away, face reddened by guilt and remorse. Every time he closed his eyes, every time he looked into a mirror, Anakin could only see the screaming faces of the younglings, the apprentices, the knights that he had slaughtered in cold blood. Their innocent eyes seemed to bore straight into his soul.

"Murder them, you did not." Anakin looked up to see the Jedi Master staring at him, emerald eyes flashing. "Darth Vader, instrument of the Dark Side, did that."

Anakin nodded, finding solace in the Jedi's wise words. He exhaled, releasing a breath he did not realise he had been holding. Sitting down, he cleared his mind of all thoughts, determined to discover what exactly had happened to Obi-Wan.

Bail Organa, Prince Consort of Alderaan, cleared his throat, unsure if he could begin. Receiving no opposition, he clasped his hands together and addressed his three companions.

"Anakin, it is good to see you well. We..." he faltered a moment, the words catching in his throat, and Anakin realised that Bail knew exactly what had happened to him. "We thought that you were gone."

"Not yet, Bail. Thank you for rescuing us; Padmé told me how you retrieved our escape pod. But, what I really want to know is what has happened, and where is Obi-Wan?" There was a restrained passion contained in Anakin's words; he tried to control the impatience coursing through his veins.

Bail looked to Yoda for a moment, then back to the young Jedi. "How much do you remember?" he asked slowly.

Blood. Screams. Pain. Loss. Salvation. Anakin closed his eyes once more. "Everything." he whispered. Cerulean orbs snapped wide. "I need you tell me anything that has happened in the past two weeks. Since... since I returned."

And the Senator did. He told Anakin of how the war was ended, after Darth Vader's actions on Mustafar. Of how Chancellor Palpatine had become Emperor Palpatine of the newly formed Galactic Empire, and how the clone troopers that had once fought for freedom and democracy now battled for oppression and control. He explained that a week ago the Jedi Temple had burned bright in Coruscant's atmosphere, reducing to ash the bodies of a thousand men and women that had given their lives for the galaxy. Anakin heard of the construction of a new, extremely powerful weapon the size of a moon being built in orbit of Ord Cestus. And then, finally, he was told about Obi-Wan.

"From what little information we've been able to retrieve, we've ascertained that Master Kenobi is being held by the Emperor as a prisoner of war." It was then that Bail's eyes clouded over and he stopped, uncertain if he should continue.

Anakin waited, confused and irritated. "There's something else, isn't there?" Bail looked away. "Padmé, what it is?" he asked, knowing his wife would not lie to him.

Her features strained, she grabbed Anakin's hand once more and held it tight, pressing it against her warm body. "Obi-Wan was scheduled for execution three days ago, Ani. We've heard nothing since then. All the news stations, they- they called it the Revenge of the People. The death of the last Jedi traitor."

Anakin stood clumsily, the chair falling back onto the ground, clanging upon the white floor. "No. He-I-. I would have felt it."

Even as he spoke, Anakin was searching, looking deep inside of him, trying to locate the dormant bond between them that had existed for over a decade. Not the bond of Master and Padawan- that had been severed at Anakin's knighthood ceremony-, but the bond of brother and brother, father and son. It lay within him, damaged and battered from Anakin's descent into the dark side, but it was still there.

He looked to those seated around the table, all of them looking back to him. He placed his hands onto the table, one metallic and cold, the other warm and pounding. "I know he is still alive. Our bond has not been severed. I- I would know if he had died."

Yoda closed his eyes, and Anakin knew that he was searching the tumbling rapids of the Force, searching the waters for any sign of Obi-Wan. "If alive he is, sense him I do not. Clouds the current, the dark side does. Find him, we must, before he drowns."

Anakin nodded his agreement, and turned to Bail. "Where do we start?"


	5. Bonding

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Hey all!

Unfortunately, this story will be on a very short hiatus, as I am leaving for a soccer tournament. I'll be back on Sunday, so be on the lookout on Monday!

How many days had passed since Rowan had arrived, Obi-Wan did not know. Long enough that he had become totally accustomed to her, but short enough that he could remember a time before her. Together they shared their small cell, bonding in their shared misery.

He still had his routine, but it had changed. Every morning when he woke up, he would nudge the little girl beside him awake, and practice his katas, teaching her the simple ones as they went along. She was quite talented, agile and quick for one so young, and enough so that Obi-Wan wondered about her life before this place.

Rowan had not told him much, and what she had was in the cryptic, abstract way that only the very young can do. She was four and a half cycles old, her favourite colour was the blue of the skies, and she could hold her breath for a minute. She had told him nothing of her family, or of her planet or of how she had come to be in such a place. Obi-Wan couldn't help but be curious about the lack of information about these things.

The mornings were the best part of the day. After that came the beatings. They would come for him sometime in the afternoon, while he and Rowan would talk and play rudimentary Temple games that he had learnt as a child. Rowan was always left behind, violet eyes wide with terror. The first time he had returned, she had screamed. Not anymore. Now the cuts and bruises were ordinary, the blood customary.

Today, however, thought Obi-Wan as he dragged his feet through the cold hallways of the prison, broken and sore, today would be a shock to her. The guards pushed him through the door, and he stumbled through to meet the puzzled face of his cellmate.

He leaned back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. Slowly, as he rested, Rowan made her way over to him. Reaching out one curious hand, she stroked it over his clean-shaven face, and touched his hairless scalp.

"You look different, Bwan." she said, still rubbing the soft surface of his head.

He grinned at the look of awe upon her face. "Younger? Better?"

She sat down, crossing her legs over each other. "Silly. You look sillier, Bwan."

"Why thank you, Rowan. I've always wanted to look sillier." Even as he spoke, Obi-Wan could feel the pain in his limbs, the overwhelming tension in his muscles. He rolled down onto the floor, back against the wall, completely exhausted.

The little girl got up and grabbed the water and food left for him during his absence, and brought them to him. He shook his head, and pushed them away. "I'm not hungry, Rowan."

"You have to eat! Otherwise how will you stay strong?" she asked, incredulous.

He sighed, admitting defeat. Obi-Wan grabbed one of the bars, removed the wrapper and took a small, slow bite. The food turned to ash in his mouth, his jaw moving mechanically just the decompose the sustenance enough so that he could swallow it. He managed to eat half the bar in this manner before conceding defeat, and laying back down onto the floor.

"Did you practice your katas today, Rowan?" he asked, looking up into her innocent features.

She smiled brightly. "Of course! May I show you?" she asked, so politely that Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Of course."

She positioned herself in the centre of the room, her small face the picture of calm and concentration. She began slowly, arms and legs moving so precisely and so accurately that, not for the first time, Obi-Wan wondered if she had a connection to the Force.

As she moved wonderfully through the first level katas, a strange feeling overcame him. A feeling that he had not felt in a long time, since Anakin was a young boy, since Siri was still with him. Love. Love bloomed within his heart, even among the hate and anger still brewing inside, love for this little girl. The obligation, the need to protect her, to hold her, to care for her arose within him.

Startlingly, he realized a truth: she was to him, even within such a short time, essential to his existence. He felt like her father, and she was his daughter.

Rowan had completed her exercises, beaming with pride. "Was I good, Bwan?"

He smiled. "You were wonderful." Fatigue began to cloud his vision, and he closed his eyes, attempting to rest.

A cold, damp feeling shocked him out of his half-sleep, and he inhaled sharply at the sensation. He opened his eyes to see Rowan before him, holding one of the cloths soaked in water.

"I-I was just trying to help." she whispered.

"Oh, Rowan." he sighed, grabbing her free hand and squeezing it. "Thank you."

She gently rubbed the cloth over his face, wiping off the grime and blood that stained it. Just as he had done for her on their first meeting, she returned the favour to the injured Jedi Knight before her. Finally, the dirt came off his face and his wounds felt cleansed.

"You're all clean, Bwan!" she said, smiling.

He returned her smile, too tired to talk. He slid down the side of the wall, laying on his back. The young girl sat down beside him, concerned.

A long moment passed, and silence filled the room. The slow sound of Rowan's breathing mixed in with Obi-Wan's raspy intakes of air combined to make a rhythm, a rhythm of life.

"Are we going to die, Bwan?"

Obi-Wan shut his eyes. "I don't know."

He felt her lay down beside him, and he could feel the tears on her cheeks as she burrowed her face into his side. He turned her to face him, and met her crying eyes.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Rowan. Don't ever doubt that." He pulled her down next to her, and she lay her head on his chest, her tiny chest that had been heaving with silent sobs slowly calming down.

"Tell me a story, Bwan." she said, shattering the silence.

And he did. He told her of two young people deeply in love, but forbidden to be together by the Order they served in. He told her of how they decided, in the end, to stay apart and to simply carry their devotion to each other inside of them. And he told her that in the end, when the beautiful woman was on the verge of death, the man that loved her had saved her, and that they lived happily ever after, with three children and many pets and there was peace in the world.

Rowan fell asleep to his voice, content of the tale's completion.

Obi-Wan stayed awake, knowing that not every story has a happy ending.


	6. Visions

****

So sorry I was late in posting this! I fully intended to do it earlier, but I sprained my ankle and couldn't make it to the computer. It's here now! Please don't hurt me!

Also, I have no idea how to care for a three week-old infant. So if I'm wrong, just pretend it's plausible in their universe!

"No, Anakin, don't hold her like that!"

"What other way am I supposed to hold her!"

"Like this, Anakin." Padmé took her wailing daughter from her husband's awkward hold and demonstrated to him how exactly to hold the shrieking infant. As he watched, he could hear the howls of a second child through the open doorway, coming from the next room.

His wife hurriedly placed the little girl into his waiting arms and went into the next room, cooing down to her agitated son. She lifted him from the crib and re-entered the room, grinning despite herself at the concentration and determination upon her husband's features as he tried in vain to perfect the holding technique she had shown him.

Another door opened, and a nurse droid came through, murmuring softly as it made its way over to Anakin and removed Leia from him. Taking out a bottle from one of its compartments, it fed the red-faced infant, whose cries soon subsided into hiccups between drinks of milk.

The young Jedi Knight watched with interest and a slight amount of jealousy as the droid performed its task so easily and so calmly, while he couldn't even hold his daughter correctly. He found a chair and sat quietly, as his wife bottle-fed Luke, and the droid burped Leia.

Soon after, the young children had been put to bed, and the droid left, leaving Anakin and his wife alone. He stood by the viewport, watching the blurs of light streak past the window as they flew through space aboard the _Smuggler's Princess_, the new ship they had acquired. It was too dangerous to be travelling on the _Tantive IV_, now that the Emperor knew of Anakin's survival and Bail Organa's role in the matter.

It had been a week since they had left the medical center, since they had begun their search for Obi-Wan. It was difficult and secretive, as Padmé and Bail were wanted by the Emperor for crimes against the Republic. Anakin Skywalker, according to the Holonews, had died in the defense of Coruscant, defending the Empire. It seemed that Emperor Palpatine didn't want anyone else to know of Anakin's survival.

Padmé moved around behind him, putting away some of the twin's clothes and undressing into her nightgown. Anakin didn't move, but kept looking at the stars, wishing and wondering. Somewhere in the great expanse beyond, the man he trusted completely and unconditionally, now more than ever, was being held hostage. Elsewhere in that great expanse was a man he had trusted completely, but had betrayed and manipulated him totally. Both were hidden from him, out on the far horizon.

Anakin shook himself out of his reverie and tore his eyes away from the passing beams of light. He removed his shirt and shoes, and climbed into bed with his wife, who had just finished brushing her hair and was laying down to sleep. He rested his head against the pillow as Padmé turned the lights off.

Quiet filled the room. He found it oppressive, threatening to choke him. He knew why.

"Padmé," he began, as her eyes opened in the dark, "Do you hate me?"

The silence returned, waiting, anxious.

"I don't know." she answered, voice muffled by the pillow. She shifted underneath the blankets, and her voice became clear, cutting through the tension in the small quarters. "I-I think I hated you once, for a moment. Maybe it was when Obi-Wan came to see me and told me of what you had done; or when I woke up for the first time and realized what you had become. I don't know."

They both lay on their backs, eyes concentrating on nothing but the durasteel panel above them.

She turned to him suddenly, brown eyes flashing. "What was it like, Anakin? What was there that I could not give you?"

He kept staring into a world she couldn't see. "Power." he said, pausing as he considered what next to say. "Initially, the power to save you. But it grew." His voice dropped deeper and softer, and she moved closer. "It changed into the power that I've always been seeking, but never could find. Ultimate and total power."

Unbidden, tears arose in her eyes. "What brought you back?"

It was then he rolled onto his side and looked straight into her eyes, looked straight into her heart and soul. "When Obi-Wan cut me down, I saw raw emotion in his eyes, the most I've ever seen. I didn't want to lose him. When I fell, I thought of the child I'd never see, never hold, never be able to love. And when I hit the black sand, I saw your face when I choked you, and I thought of how I'd never be able to save you. That," he whispered, "is what brought me back."

She wrapped her arms around him, and he kissed her on the forehead, as they realized that they would have to work long and hard to achieve that love they had once had.

__

He was standing in a shadow, crouched behind a statuesque, but menacing, monument. He could smell sweat in the air, he could taste the blood on his lips; he knew he was being hunted. The Force swirled around him, a vortex of dark and light, good and evil.

"Good! Good!" A cackling voice out of the dim light, and Anakin knew instantly who it was. Cautiously, he emerged from behind his hiding spot, and confirmed what he already knew. The hulking form of the Emperor was standing on the far side of the hall, on top of an elevated pedestal. Even beneath his hood, Anakin could see the disfigured features of the former Chancellor of the Republic.

A tremor came through the Force, warning him. Turning swiftly and activating his azure blade, he barely raised it in time to meet the attacking blow of his opponent. Before he could even form the thought of his next move, the other being had neatly somersaulted over him, dropping low and swinging the blade at Anakin's kneecaps.

Anakin jumped and rolled away, his knees still intact. In one fluid motion he rose back up to his feet into a battle-ready stance, dropping into the simplistic mindset of survival. His attacker's face was strangely hidden, masked by the darkness of the room.

They parried blows, attacked high and low, force-pushed each other until they lay gasping upon the ground. Still, Anakin knew nothing of why he was fighting or who he was fighting against. The Emperor looked on, two evil eyes glowing in the artificial night.

Suddenly, from a far corner came a scream, the scream of a little girl. "Bwan!"

His attacker was distracted.

__

In that split second, Anakin attacked. He knocked the blade out of his opponent's hand, Force-pushed him to the ground and held his own blade against his enemy's neck. The bright blue light finally revealed the features of his attacker, a hairless head, clean-shaven face, and two very familiar cerulean orbs.

"Hello, Anakin." said Obi-Wan, eyes as dark as the room around them.

Anakin dropped his blade.

He awoke, sweating and panting. Padmé lay beside him, still asleep. The nightmare, the vision, still swam in his mind, chilling his blood. He lay back down, his head settling into the pillow. He had no idea what this might mean, and what he was supposed to do about it. His heart pounded with fear and confusion. What next? His gaze met the ceiling, and he began to think.

He continued staring at the durasteel panel, on into the night.


	7. Attachment

**Sorry for the wait, but you may have to get used to it, for a week, at least. I'm leaving for vacation again, and there aren't any computers where I'm going! Hopefully this will tide you over until next Monday! Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

In the darkness of the cell, Obi-Wan slept. It was a sleep without rest, the kind where you wake up and are even more exhausted then when you shut your eyes. In this sleep, Obi-Wan dreamt. Incoherently, he passed from one to the next, barely remembering the passage through REM. From scenario to scenario, his unconscious mind threw together implausible situations that he would never remember in his waking life, and he slept on.

The last one, he remembered.

He awoke with a gasp, eyelids snapping open, his lungs emptying themselves and then refilling with unbridled force. Confused, he took in his surroundings: the four dark walls, the new tray of food, the little girl that lay next to him, undisturbed by his violent awakening. Recognition came quickly, and his heart ceased thumping in his chest, the sweat beading upon his forehead.

He brought up his hand and rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The last dream, the one that had woke him so fitfully, had been too vivid, too real to be simply a nightmare. He swore he could still smell the metallic air, taste the blood on his lips. His muscles ached from a fight that hadn't really occurred...

A fight he hoped would never occur.

Obi-Wan could still see it in the shadows of his waking sight; still haunting his anxious mind. In his dream he had been fighting Anakin, and in his dreams it was not Anakin who battled with the fury of the dark side: It had been himself.

Groaning, he got up slowly, and made his way over to the tray that had appeared during the night. Unwrapping his nutrition bar, he ate it slowly and mechanically as he tried to make sense of the images floating about in his mind. He barely noticed as Rowan woke up, rubbing her eyes and blinking as she focused on the room around her.

"Bwan?" she said softly, and he looked up at her, seemingly noticing her presence for the first time. "I have a bad feeling about today."

Her eyes glowed with fright, and even as she spoke, he heard the heavy footfalls reverberate in the passageway of their cellblock, coming closer and closer until finally they reached the door. He had barely enough time to turn and face them, squinting in the harsh light, before they grabbed him and yanked him through the door, leaving a screaming little girl behind.

Through halls and past countless other cells they dragged him, vision fading in and out in the brilliant light, as it always did. Down a set of stairs, past three cells and to the right, as they entered the familiar place of his daily abuse. Roughly, they dropped him to the ground where he collapsed into a heap, moaning as his injured leg went numb with pain. He looked up in time to see the two men leave, and confusion rang clear in his head.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. A shame we have not really conversed before."

The Jedi Master's breath caught in his chest as he recognized the voice. It was the voice of tyranny and horror; of death and betrayal. Palpatine.

He tried to move, but found himself pinned against the wall by some unseen force. Looking up, he finally saw the Dark Lord of the Sith standing before him, disfigured features hidden by the hood that shadowed his face.

"It is something that I have never really lamented." he replied, from his position upon the floor.

A cackle escaped from snarled purple lips beneath the mask. "Ah, Master Kenobi. I am beginning to understand my last apprentice's interest with you. Pity he was killed before his time. Poor Dooku. He never really understood what part he had to play in it all; he never understood that he was just a pawn."

"In whose game, Palpatine? Yours?"

The dark shadow leant down close to the emissary of the light. "Why, the game of the Force, dear child. We are all but pawns to be moved in a galactic game of chess."

Obi-Wan tried in vain to fight his invisible restraints. "Then what does that make you?"

Deformed lips curled upwards into a malformed grin. "A king, of course. My dear Jedi," said the former Chancellor, changing the subject abruptly, "why do you not escape? I know it is it your capacity to do so, yet you have attempted nothing. Why?"

"Any escape through the means you are insinuating is no escape at all, Palpatine."

"And what is it exactly that I am insinuating, Master Jedi?"

Obi-Wan only stared at him with his striking cerulean eyes, and the Sith laughed once more. As long as Obi-wan stayed true to the values and beliefs of the Jedi Order, escape from his prison was not an option, not by the means in which it could be achieved. For he had knew since the moment they placed the Force collar around his neck that it was no ordinary Force restraint. This one was built to stand against the Light Side, able to withstand the barrage of everything Obi-Wan had to throw against it and still stay standing. However, even the lightest touch of Dark Side energy would snap it in two, freeing him from its grasp.

No, doing this was not an option. He would have to find another way out.

The Chancellor-no, the _Emperor_- turned away from him and faced the far wall. Obi-Wan lay still against the cool metal and contemplated what to do. _If only Anakin…_ he thought to himself, then wished it away.

"How far would you go, Master Kenobi, to protect those that you love?" asked the hooded man before him, voice muffled.

"Love is an attachment."

A flutter of clothing, and two smouldering embers locked stares with his own eyes. " 'Attachment is forbidden. Passion is forbidden.' Words of the Jedi, are they not?"

He nodded.

A sneer. "Then I suppose it would not interest you that your young friend is scheduled for execution tomorrow, am I correct?"

Obi-Wan's heart jumped, and suddenly a pit of rage erupted within him. "She's but a child! Don't you dare harm her!" He fought once more against the hidden hands that held him back.

Palpatine moved closer, until his face was but mere inches from Obi-Wan's. "If that is not attachment, my dear Kenobi, then what is it?"

The door behind him opened abruptly, and the two guards pulled the Jedi to his feet, the unseen chains gone. The Emperor's burning stare was till upon him as he was dragged out of the room.

"You have the power to save her, Obi-Wan." The words floated through the hall and into his mind as the men returned him to his cell.

"You have the power to save her."

For the first time in his life, Obi-Wan was torn between the light and the dark.


	8. Found

****

Here it is! Finally! Please don't hurt me!

With a start, Anakin opened his eyes. Blinking away the haze of sleep, his vision focused onto the familiar furnishings of his and Padmé's small quarters aboard the _Smuggler's Princess_. Laying back against the pillow, he remembered the dream.

He remembered the parrying and striking, deflecting and attacking. He could still see Obi-Wan's pale eyes shining in the blue light of his lightsaber, reflecting the raw force of the dark side. The shadow's chilling laugh as he watched the two men fight, brother to brother, father to son. Anakin could still smell the metallic air, old and arid, as he brought his blade up against the greatest friend he had ever had...

Wait. This was it. This was what they had been looking for from the start. Somewhere within this dream was the answer to their quest: the hidden location of his former Master. The texture of the walls, the dank smell of the room, the absence of any natural light- somewhere in there was the clue that would lead them to Obi-Wan.

Anakin got out of bed and dressed quickly, putting on his tunic and clipping his lighsaber to his belt. The other side of the bed was empty; Padmé was most likely with the children. He crossed over to the adjacent sleep chamber, where his wife was singing softly to her son while she changed him. In a nearby crib, Leia slept soundly, her small face so calm and so innocent. Anakin's heart throbbed with a total and complete love for his two children. He finally knew exactly what Obi-Wan felt for him, the unconditional love of a father for his child. The pain in his chest returned. He needed to find him.

Padmé turned to him, smiling and glowing with maternal life, but then she noticed the tension in his features, and her smile faded away. "What is it, Anakin?"

His eyes burned with anticipation. "I know where to find him."

"Where?"

"I- I don't know." Frustration closed his eyes and scrunched up his features. "I mean, I know, but I don't know."

She touched his hand lightly. "Yoda and Bail will be able to help you; they wanted to meet with us anyways." Taking his hand completely, she led him from the room, with one look back to her children, now in the capable hands of the nanny droid.

They walked in silence, linked together through the union of their hands, and Anakin could feel her simple wedding band rub against his skin. Even in this simple moment, he felt so lucky, so blessed to be with her, with their children. He hoped, inside of him, that this happiness would not be at the cost of his best friend.

Yoda and Bail were waiting for them in the ship's small meeting room, the diminutive Jedi Master overshadowed by the tall Senator. Anakin and Padmé sat down across from them, their hands parting beneath the table.

"We've retrieved some footage from the Cha- the _Emperor's_ office through one of our operatives in the Senate." started Bail, strong features showing the signs of sleeplessness and stress. "There was no location recorded, not even a full security clip. I think that it was left deliberately for us to find." The Prince Consort looked to Yoda, who nodded his agreement.

"Too easy, this was. Cunning, Palpatine is, and he would not make such a simple mistake. Deliberate, this was."

"Could we see the clip, Master?"

Bail pressed a key down by his right hand, and a holoprojector emerged from the table. This was not just a person to person projector; it was a small room type, and Anakin could see the background behind the two images on the screen.

__

"She's but a child! Don't you dare harm her!" The clipped Coruscanti accent, the conviction contained within the voice- it was Obi-Wan.

The second figure leant in close to his former Master. _"If that is not attachment, my dear Kenobi, then what is it?"_

Anakin's heart jumped in his chest. The deep, almost feral articulation, the restrained emotion contained within. Anakin knew this voice all too well. He heard it in his memory, and in his nightmares.

__

"Rise, Lord Vader."

Someone touched his shoulder, and he jumped, awoken from his painful trance. Padmé's gentle hand held him, and he turned to see the three other occupants in the room staring at him, concerned. The two figures from the holoprojector had disappeared.

"What is it, Anakin?" asked Bail.

The young Jedi looked past him. "I think I know where they are." A flash in his eyes, and he was concentrated on the Prince Consort and the Jedi Master once more. "I had a vision."

"What did you see?" Yoda's voice was calm and soothing to Anakin, whose mind was in turmoil.

"A- a room. Grand pillars, and an elevated stage. There are no windows, and the room is so dark. My lightsaber, I'm using it to light the room. Obi-Wan and Palpatine are there. The air is stagnant and metallic; it's hard to breathe."

A strange look overcame the ancient Jedi Master. "Is there a monument, young Anakin?"

His face is contorted; he is reliving the dream again. "Yes, oh- it's dark, I'm hiding behind it, but it won't help, it won't help…" Anakin gasped suddenly; looking down, he sees the wizened and aged face of the small, green Jedi.

"Thank you." he whispered, pulse still racing.

"Know where this is, I do."

The Alderaanian Senator rose to his feet. "You do?"

The ancient warrior nodded slightly. "Deep down in the darkness of Coruscant, this is. The very bottom of the Temple. Go there, we must, before it is too late."

Turning to the young man beside him, Yoda stared deep into his eyes. "Always in motion, the future is, young Skywalker."

"I know, Master."

Emerald orbs met blue ones . "Save Obi-Wan, we still can."


	9. Revelation

**Okay! Only one or two more left! I hope you like it! (P.S: I am leaving AGAIN on vacation from July 24th-August 7th. I'll try to post before then!)**

They sat together, quiet and unmoving, disguised by the blanket of darkness in the room. Their hands and feet were bound to the pillar behind them, as their backs rested against the cold Alderaanian marble, sending shivers up their spines. Rowan did not recognize the chamber around her, filled with darkness and hidden monsters, but her companion did.

This was the hall from his dreams. The place in his nightmares where he would battle Anakin for the last time; where he would sacrifice all of his ideals and morals to save a little girl. A little girl he realized now was essential to his existence. Even in such a short time as their captivity together had been, Rowan had become to him like his own daughter, and he couldn't explain how or why.

There was a connection between them, a link that they shared, and not for the the first time Obi-Wan wondered who exactly were her parents and where she had come from. The question burned inside of him, just like his resolve to rescue his young companion from any harm. Palpatine had planned this, he knew, but he was powerless to change or stop it.

She shivered next to him, chilled by the arid coolness of the air and the fear that froze her muscles and veins. Her orchid reflected blue in the dim light. "Bwan, where are we?"

He looked up to the ceiling, as if it could offer any answers to their location. "I don't know, Rowan."

"Are we going to die now?"

His gaze shifted to her, and he could see the tears that she struggled to keep back, the fright that tried to keep contained. Obi-Wan rolled onto his side as far as his bindings would allow, and faced her.

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you, you know that."

She nodded, afraid to speak and to lose control over her emotions. Obi-Wan remarked at how mature she was, how she seemed much older than her five years of age.

"Rowan," he began slowly, "what was your life like before here?"

She cocked her head to the side, the fright being replaced by innocent confusion. "Before here?"

"Before you came to this place, Ro, before you met me. Where did you live?"

The little girl smiled sadly. "I didn't live anywhere."

The Jedi Master didn't understand. He tried another approach. "What was your planet like? Was it hot or cold? Were there lots of clouds in the sky?"

Her grin grew. "Once, a long time ago, they let me outside for a while! The sky was so blue, so pretty."

Obi-Wan's heart skipped a beat. "Rowan, who's they?"

A cackle crossed the air, shattering their quiet whispers. "Master Kenobi, you are finally figuring it out." From the dark, a shadow emerged, cloaked and hooded.

He rolled back up straight and watched the figure with wary eyes. "Figuring out what, Palpatine?"

The shadow drew closer, footsteps heavy on the marble floors. "Just how much of a pawn you are."

Something within Obi-Wan clenched, as a sinking feeling overtook him. "I-I don't understand." he stuttered, when really he knew that he was understanding too much.

Deformed features became visible in the pale light, the shadow mere inches from him now. The purple lips curled up into a malicious grin, taunting the Jedi. "Oh, young and foolish Jedi, your naivety still astounds me. How such a talented Jedi Knight like you can be so thick-headed is beyond me."

"You-you manipulated me."

A harsh laugh. "For years, Master Jedi." it said, snarling on the last words.

"Who is she?" Obi-Wan asked, shaking slightly despite himself.

"She is the product of the genetic manipulation of your genes with another's. A backup plan, if you will." It stepped back into the shadows, blending in with the artificial night, watching, waiting.

The Jedi Knight drew in a sharp breath. "What? How-no, that's not possible."

A flurry of movement and the creature was in front of him once more. "Fool." it hissed, "I hid in plain view of the Jedi for over twenty years. I controlled the Clone Wars. I even managed to turn the Jedi's beloved Chosen One. It was amazingly simple to put this contingency plan into action. After all," and its lips pulled back in its frightening facsimile of a smile, "treachery is the way of the Sith."

Obi-Wan turned to Rowan, the girl he now knew to be his true daughter. Her violet eyes, her blonde tresses, the innate defiance present in the curvature of her chin- this was Rowan, his daughter. What an alien term. He was a Jedi Knight- dedicated to the Code and the ideals of his organization. The voice in his mind whispered softly to him: _Attachment is forbidden..._

Yet he knew that he had formed an attachment. It was more than an attachment, it was pure love for the person beside him. And he knew now what this meant.

The wraith was still in front of him, eyes glowing red now in the faint light. "And now, General Kenobi, it is time for her to die." Palpatine flipped back his hood, revealing the horribly misshapen features behind the mask of dark, and the Rowan screamed. Using the Force, he undid her leg bindings and lifted her into the air, as she trashed above.

"Bwan!" she shrieked, as her eyes grew wide with fear, "Bwan!

Obi-Wan fought against his restraints in vain, as tears of anger and fear bled from his eyes.

"You can save her!" yelled Palpatine, over the girl's frightened screams.

The Jedi froze.

"Very well." said the shadow coldly, and he brought Rowan to the floor. Raising his hands to unleash his powerful Force lightning, he smiled with evil delight as he heard a painful cry from behind him. He turned to Obi-Wan, but saw that the Jedi was not the who had reacted.

It was Anakin Skywalker, who stood in the doorway before him.


	10. Salvation

**Here it is! There will be an epilogue posted within a couple days. Thanks for reading! I love you all! beams with happiness**

"Let her down."

The words were whispered, but it came to Obi-Wan's ears as a resounding yell. He could feel something pushing against the barriers of his Force restraint; that something he knew now to be his former Padawan. Anakin stood in the doorway, radiating the energy of the Force. New hope was born within him. He would save Rowan. Yes, yes, he knew Anakin would.

Past him, the shadow grimaced as realization dawned within his opaque eyes. And then, just as quickly as it had come, the sneer was replaced by an inexplicable grin, barely visible in the pale light.

"Darth Vader. You have returned."

"No." breathed Anakin, moving forwards, skirting the edge of the line of nightfall. 'Never."

"It was... inevitable." sighed the Sith Lord, while still holding his young prisoner hostage in an invisible grasp. "I know what lays in your heart, boy. It is feigning sleep, coiling, waiting."

A slight misstep; Anakin's lightsaber wavers, almost imperceptibly. "Release her, Palpatine."

The creature cast his gaze back and watches as the ivory skinned child struggles against restraints that she cannot see; as she fights to keep the tears out of her eyes and strength in her features. The creature turns back to the man of the renewed Light.

"No." it hisses, inhuman. A predator begins to stalk its prey, moving around the child and igniting its crimson blade.

A blue light bursts into existence, as Anakin crosses the border into the land of dark. Advancing, he watches Palpatine with a wary and yet, ready, eye. Through his peripheral vision he can see his former Master, broken and exhausted, watching as he struggles to keep consciousness. Anakin can the little girl on the ground, still struggling valiantly, and he is struck by a vision of his own daughter. His grip steadies. He knows what he fights for.

The demonic features before him become impassive, and the game has begun.

Palpatine moves first, red weapon slashing through the air, pushing the Jedi back slightly. A sky-blue blade meets its evil twin in mid-move, and sparks fly in the night. Parry to parry, attack to defense, the two move against each other. Physical attacks are met with retaliation, mental assaults are defeated. Faster and faster the battle weaves. Unbeknownst to either of the them, the shatterpoint approaches. A lightsaber misses its mark, and its wielder is thrown to the ground as his weapon rolls away. A cry rings out again in the artificial night.

"**_Anakin_**!" Obi-Wan Kenobi rages against his metal bindings as his best and greatest friend is thrown to the ground.

The Emperor of what was once the Republic brings his glowing blade to the throat of his opponent. Anakin Skywalker does not move.

"Join me again." whispers the ruler of the everlasting dark. "I will let him go, the girl too."

And then Obi-Wan realizes, from his imprisonment against the wall, that this was never about him. It was never about Rowan. It was a contingency plan. Shivering involuntarily, he knows now the truth. Palpatine would never had let the object of his desires escape so easily. He had a back-up plan. And he had been too blind, too _stupid _to see it.

"Anakin!" he croaks, his voice failing him. "Don't give in! It's a trap! It's you he's wanted from the-" Obi-Wan's words become a bloodcurdling scream of pain as the shadow unleashes a bolt of purple lightning from his wizened and scarred hands. The Jedi Master falls against the pillar, and slides down to the ground.

The younger Knight can do nothing against the threat of the crimson lightsaber at his throat. His vibrant blue eyes meet black ones, and for one eternal moment, Anakin can see the truth of everything, and of nothing. He sees for the first time what Obi-Wan has seen his entire adult life: the pure river of the Force. In his mind, he wades into the water completely, no longer trying to fight current, and lets himself go.

The blue eyes glow white with intense light. The shadow starts to feel fear creeping at the base of his spine. And still, Anakin Skywalker does not move. After all, he doesn't have to.

In the doorway from where he had come, the Jedi Order's smallest master emerges, his tiny frame vibrating with power. Palpatine hastily tries to stand, but it is too late. Yoda throws his emerald blade, guiding it with the Force, to strike the corrupt Chancellor in his heart. Opaque eyes glow red for a second, then fade into oblivion. He is dead before he hits the ground.

In that moment, the world becomes brighter. The Force finally breaks through the dam that the Dark Side created and plunges over the waterfall of life. Obi-Wan awakens, to find the world so much more _alive._

"An-Anakin?" he mumbles, still not fully awake.

Familiar features come into view, grinning. "You didn't think I'd leave you to die, now did you Master? How many times is this now?"

Cerulean eyes look up at the laughing features. "That business on Cato Nemoidia still doesn't count."

His former Padawan takes off the Force collar and gently removes the metal bindings from around his Master's neck, and with ease, lifts the emaciated and exhausted man into his arms.

"This is the second time this month I've had to carry you, Master."

"Don't remind me, Anakin." the older man responds, smiling wearily. His attention diverts to the little girl now held in Senator Organa's strong arms. "How is she?" he asks, concern etched within his features as he looks up at his friend, his brother, his son.

"She'll be fine. Now, rest, Obi-Wan." Anakin says, as they exit the room and leave the vanquished Dark Side behind.

And so he does.


	11. Epilogue

"Are you ready?" he asked, as his blue eyes flashed with mild amusement.

"Yes, I am. I suppose." she looked pensive a moment, then continued. "It's just hard to get back into my 'Senator' mode, that's all. I think I'm still stuck in 'Mom' mode."

Anakin laughed softly. "You'll be fine, Padmé. You're the one that's going to put the galaxy back to order. That's all. Not too much to ask." He bent down and kissed her before she strode through the doorway and onto the platform that would enable to address the thousands of beings before her.

"Is she nervous?" asked a voice beside him, and Anakin turned to see Obi-Wan standing beside him, smiling softly, arms crossed over his chest.

"She is." he answered, and looked back out to the platform, where he could hear the crowd quieting and his wife's amplified voice ringing out through the chamber. She was speaking of the defeat of evil, and of the end of corruption and the beginning of peace. She was telling them of how the few Jedi refugees that had survived the Purge were no longer enemies, but friends of the New Republic. And finally, she was asking for them to join her in a new era of democracy, a new era of freedom.

There was a moment's silence at the end of her speech, then a deafening roar as the delegates and Senators rose to their feet in support of Padmé, Bail Organa and all for which they stood.

Beside him, Obi-Wan grinned. "We have just entered a brand new time, my old Padawan." The Jedi Master walked over to a nearby lounge chair and practically fell into it, showing some of his exhaustion from the past few days, days that they had spent preparing for this moment. He rubbed his tired eyes. "What next?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Let's see. Nothing until tomorrow; we have a meeting with Master Yoda and the Jedi refugees."

"Oh. Excellent. As long as it's not more politicians."

Anakin chuckled. "No more politicians, dear Master." The young Jedi collapsed in a chair beside his former Master, and looked over. "You know, Obi-Wan, that is quite the hairstyle on you. Are you trying to be more 'cool' for your daughter?"

The older Jedi ran a hand over his extremely short hair. "Not if I can help it."

His Padawan's face sobered. "Still no news of her origins?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, nothing. I wonder if I'll ever find anything about her. I mean, the DNA reports certainly corroborated what the Chancellor had said- which I admit, I had doubted- but I can't find anything else out about her."

"And how is it between you and her?"

Obi-Wan turned his face to him and gave a half-smile. "It's going well. I never expected to be in this situation, so it makes it slightly awkward at times, but I'm trying. And she is too. It will just take time." At this, his half-smile turned into a grin. "How are the twins?"

Anakin groaned, and his friend chuckled. "They are... twins. A handful. And I am often thankful that I have Threepio and the nanny droid to help me, otherwise I think all hell would break loose. But there's no where else I'd rather be." At this, the two friends exchanged meaningful looks. A long moment passed, and then Anakin whispered something barely audible to Obi-Wan, something that Anakin had obviously deliberated on for a long time.

"Do you believe in second chances?"

And the other Jedi remembered Coruscant and the fall of the Temple, and he thought of Utapau and the betrayal of his troops. He remembered Mustafar and the destruction of everything he knew, but also of salvation and the renewal of old. Finally, he thought of the little girl that now called him father and the answer was clear in his mind.

"Yes, I do."

The two Jedi sat and reminisced of all the things that they had lost and of all the things that they had gained and time stopped for a second and eternity. The Force flowed through the silence between them.

"Well," said Anakin, breaking the silence and returning time to its normal flow, "I suppose we should go and get aforementioned children."

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes once more. "Yes, we should." He reluctantly got out of his chair, and watched Anakin do the same. And as they made to leave the room to go and fetch their offspring, he looked back to the convocation chamber and thought of what the future might hold.

'Oh, brave new world...' he thought, remembering a quote he had heard once, long ago. He smiled, and followed Anakin out of the door.

* * *

**And here is the end of our tale. I want to thank everyone who ever reviewed this or who even just hid in the shadows and read it. I really, really enjoyed this story. I can't say that I won't write a sequel to it, that is to say, another story in this alternate universe that I've created, but I can say that it won't be soon. I also know that there were a lot of people who wanted to know who Rowan's mother was, and to that, I have to say I never really intended to say who it was. I mean, I have my own wish of who it would be, but I think that I like it more without Obi-Wan knowing. Who knows, perhaps I will write another story dealing on that subject!**

**Anyways, this is quite the long Author's Note. Thanks again to everyone, it's been a fun ride!**

**- Aelan**


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